“A fruitcake was originally a symbol of wealth and prosperity because of its precious ingredients such as dried fruits, alcohol and spices,” London pastry chef Chris Dodd told Vogue. “Furthermore, the cake, in a way, represented the vastness of the British empire, using ingredients from far-flung corners of the globe. A wedding was, and is to this day, a time of celebration, and as such it calls for a cake to match the occasion.”

On March 14, two months ahead of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding, the queen gave her formal blessing for the nuptials in an official letter that read: “I declare my consent to a contract of matrimony between my most dearly beloved grandson Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Wales and Rachel Meghan Markle.”

7. The groom wears military clothing for the ceremony.

Princess Diana Archive via Getty Images
Charles donned a military uniform on his wedding day in July 1981.